When I arrived at the emergency room, the rapid response team determined that my electrocardiograph – also known as EKG or ECG — and blood work showed no indication that I was experiencing a cardiac event.

However, I was a 51-year-old female with a family history of heart disease, so the ER physician took my symptoms seriously. Throughout the evening, the ER staff monitored me closely and checked my blood for heart enzymes, a common indicator of a heart attack. Finally, a negative stress-test definitively indicated that, despite my symptoms, I was not experiencing a cardiac event.

My own mother wasn’t as lucky.

Twenty-three years ago, I rushed my mom to the same ER. She was experiencing angina and shoulder pain, but — despite her symptoms and her history of heart disease — the ER doctor sent her home because her labs and electrocardiograph were “normal.”

My mother died four days later.

Fortunately, healthcare providers today recognize that female cardiac events can look very different than those of men; in fact, women’s cardiac events are often atypical.

However, 8.6 million women die from heart disease every year, making it the number one killer of women worldwide. In order to raise awareness of this deadly – and preventable — disease, the American Heart Association created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional social initiative designed to empower and inform women about heart health.

Disclaimer: Use of American Heart Association materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the American Heart Association. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the Association.